The Ambas Gorge and Waterfall () are natural formations located in the

Asterousia Mountains The Asterousia Mountains are a range in southern Crete separating the Messara Plain from the Libyan Sea. Evidence of ancient Cretan cultures have been found in excavations performed within sites contained in this range; moreover, one of the mo ...

range of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

Location

The Ambas Gorge is located about 50 kilometers south of

Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...

in the rugged Asterousia Mountains. It is carved by the Mousoulis () stream, which drains water from the Paranymfi ( el) and Amygdalos ( el) at an altitude of approximately 700 meters. The river flows peacefully across the plateau before plunging down the rocky Asterousia fault line to create the breathtaking Ambas waterfall. The name ''Ambas'' comes from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word abbas (meaning "

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

"), likely referring to one of the many

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

monks who in earlier times lived secluded in the Asterousia Mountains. The waterfall can be reached via a signposted road after the village of Paranymfi, heading toward the remote beach of Tris Eklisies ( el). Just above the waterfall lies a parking area next to the ruins of an old watermill. From there, a short trail follows the edge of the cliff to a spectacular viewpoint offering panoramic views of both the waterfall and the

Cretan Sea 300px, Map of the Sea of Crete The Sea of Crete (, ''Kritiko Pelagos''), or Cretan Sea, is a sea, part of the Aegean Sea, located in its southern extremity, with a total surface area of . The sea stretches to the north of the island of Crete, eas ...

beyond.

Features

The Ambas waterfall stands at an impressive 145 meters, making it one of the highest vertical waterfalls in Greece—second only to the 215-meter Mastoras waterfall in

Ha Gorge Ha Gorge () is a narrow Canyon, gorge, at the Monasteraki Dakos, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece. It is located in the west slope of Thrypti mountain range, and exits east of Vasiliki, Lasithi, Vasiliki village in the plain o ...

and the 240-meter Perdika waterfall in

Samaria Gorge The Samariá Gorge ( or just ''Φάραγγας'') is a National Park of Greece since 1962 on the island of Crete – a major tourist attraction of the island – and a World's Biosphere Reserve. The gorge is in southwest Crete in the reg ...

. This majestic drop forms where the terrain suddenly shifts from smooth plateau to rugged cliff. Descending to the base of the waterfall is not possible without technical climbing gear. Beyond the main waterfall, the gorge continues its descent towards the sea, featuring a series of smaller waterfalls. The entire canyon has been secured and is suitable for experienced canyoners, who can traverse it in about 7 hours. In total, there are 21 rappels, the tallest of which is 45 meters (the main waterfall is divided into four free-hanging sections). The cliffs of the greater Asterousia region are known for hosting the largest island-based population of

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

in Europe.

References

External links

Ambas gorge
from archanes-asterousia.gr * {{coord, 34.9595, N, 25.1357, E, region:GR-M_type:, display=title Gorges of Crete Landforms of Heraklion (regional unit) Canyons and gorges of Greece Waterfalls of Greece

Location

Features

See also

References

External links